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Treo 610 rumours "authoritatively quashed"

The Treo 600 would have been, easily, my favourite smartphone when it launched last year - if only it had had Bluetooth. I wasn't the only disappointed punter. So keen are buyers on seeing the wireless upgrade, that rumours of the launch of the Treo 610 are becoming universal.

But, according to PIC it's definitely wrong! Could it be that there are not one, but two new Treo smartphones coming? It seems likely.

Staff at PDA Blast originally spotted what looked like proof positive of the availability.

It was the appearance of the Treo 610 in the database of Shopping.com - but unfortunately, it was a facade only. The picture on that site is of a Treo 600 standard model, and there's no further data, nor any way of placing an order.

That a new Treo is on the way, nobody doubts; the only mystery is that it didn't appear already. And, of course, the mystery of "well, when?" But perhaps, we're asking the wrong question? Perhaps it should be "Which one?"

Rumours of a March launch, published back in January, now look optimistic, but the details are starting to fill out. PalmBlast said originally that the spec would include a larger 320x320 screen, instead of the standard 160x160 screen, plus expansion of the current 16 meg of RAM. The report added, weirdly, that this information had been provided "confidentially" from an authoritative source. Confidential appears to have a different meaning in different parts of the world.

A picture of the device (apparently!) did appear, elsewhere. At BargainPDA they say have had overwhelming interest from all visitors, in the Treo610, which the site said would launch this month. At first, it said "the first" and subsequently, adjusted this to "later in March." But March is now sufficiently advanced that it's clear the date is wrong.

But it could be nearly right. Or, partly so! TreoCentral claims that retailers are definitely talking about a new Treo - but not the 610. Rather, this is supposed to be a business-friendly version, without the built-in camera. Launch date for that, they think, is April 21st.

The official word is, and has been, that the current model will stay the current model for some months. A pity, really. A mistake, probably. All the signs are, a Bluetooth Treo phone would be really popular.

What will probably happen, is that there will be an extended period of "brand re-organisation" inside PalmOne, and decision will be made about whether the Handspring brand, and specifically, the Handspring Treo brand, is worth maintaining - or whether a Tungsten Treo would be the way forward.

It could easily take another six months before that is resolved.